Zelenskyy's Negotiation Roadmap and Bottom Line
On September 10, during his visit to Canada, Zelenskyy jointly held a media briefing with Prime Minister Mark Carney, publicly disclosing Ukraine’s current negotiation roadmap and its bottom line in talks with Russia.
1. Negotiation Timeline: Formal negotiations will not begin in the short term; the New York meeting at the end of September is a key milestone
Zelenskyy provided a clear temporal boundary: Ukraine and Russia will not initiate formal negotiations before the conclusion of the Russian State Duma elections. Ukraine assesses that it is unlikely for Russia to make significant concessions during the election cycle, and all substantive diplomatic actions are expected to proceed only after the electoral dust has settled.
Short-term achievable diplomatic moves: A meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations during the United Nations General Assembly in late September in New York. Ukraine hopes this could facilitate a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump. Even if a trilateral Ukraine-Russia-U.S. summit cannot be held, working-level teams from Ukraine and the U.S. will maintain regular communication to pre-draft negotiation proposals.
Zelenskyy is not seeking an immediate comprehensive peace treaty. At this stage, all diplomatic efforts are prioritized toward securing a temporary agreement for winter, focusing on two key issues: Black Sea grain exports and mutual cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure.
2. Ukraine’s Core Position on Energy and Grain Issues: Reciprocal Retaliation, Rejecting Unilateral Concessions
In the envisioned agenda for a trilateral meeting, Western partners are pushing for solutions to the Black Sea grain blockade issue. Zelenskyy clearly articulated Ukraine’s core logic: All Ukrainian long-range strikes targeting Russian energy facilities are acts of reciprocal retaliation.
Zelenskyy emphasized that if Ukraine unilaterally halts attacks on Russian oil refineries and ports, Russia will not voluntarily end the war, as Moscow would not feel direct costs from the conflict. The logic behind the energy issue mirrors that of the grain corridor: only mutual restraint is viable—Ukraine will not unilaterally cease fire.
Ukraine envisions a seasonal temporary agreement: Russia stops attacking Ukrainian ports and energy infrastructure; in exchange, Ukrainian forces suspend long-range strikes against energy infrastructure inside Russia, allowing Black Sea grain shipping to resume. This agreement would be time-limited and does not address core issues such as territory or security guarantees.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875987023855628/
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